The present invention relates to a card issue system constituted by a personal computer and a card issue apparatus for issuing a card in accordance with a command transmitted from the personal computer.
A personal computer is generally connected to a card issue apparatus through an RS (Recommended Standard)-232C interface. When the card issue apparatus receives the command from the personal computer through the RS-232C interface, the card issue apparatus performs a card issue process. The RS-232C interface is well known as the standard of a terminal in which signal lines having 25 pins are defined. The RS-232C interface can be connected at a speed of 20 kbits/s and a distance of 15 m or less.
More specifically, in causing the card issue apparatus to issue cards, when operations for setting the types, number, and the like of the cards to be issued are performed in a personal computer, set card issue information is transmitted to the card issue apparatus through the RS-232C interface. When the card issue apparatus receives the card issue information from the personal computer, the card issue apparatus performs a card issue process in accordance with a card type and a card count. The card issue apparatus returns information indicating non-defective and defective card counts or the like, which information is obtained as a result of the card issue process, to the personal computer through the RS-232C interface, thereby causing the personal computer to display the information.
In a conventional technique, information communicated between a personal computer and a card issue apparatus is serially transmitted/received through an RS-232C interface. For this reason, when an amount of communication between the personal computer and the card issue apparatus increases, a very long time is required for a communication process. As a result, original processes in the personal computer and the card issue apparatus are disadvantageously delayed.
More specifically, in the personal computer, the above display process, a card management process, and the like are executed by a multitask process. In the card issue apparatus, card issue processes such as an information recording process and an information reproducing process for each card conveyed at a high speed are executed by a multitask process. For this reason, when a time required for a serial transmission process performed through the RS-232C interface increases, original processes such as the card management process in the personal computer and the card issue process in the card issue apparatus are delayed. In the worst case, these original processes cannot be executed.